Locking mechanism for rocking chairs



Aug. 27, 1957 A. BELISLE 2,804,124

' LOCKING MECHANISM FOR Rocxmc CHAIRS Filed June 24, 1955 IN V EN TOR.

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United States Patent Ofiice LOCKING MECHANISM FOR ROCKING CHAIRS Adelard Belisle, South Hadley Falls, Mass., assignor to The Berkline Corporation, Chicopee Falls, Mass., a corporation Application June 24, 1955, Serial No. 517,770

4 Claims. (Cl. 155-72) This invention relates to improvements in chairs of the type wherein a seat and back are rockable on a base between upright and reclining positions and is directed more particularly to a mechanism for releasably locking the seat and back against movement on the base.

The principal object of the invention is directed to the provision of manually operable mechanism for a chair having a seat and back rockable or reclinable on a base and means to releasably lock the seat and back against movement on the base in various reclined positions of the seat on the base. That is, the mechanism is adapted for releasably locking the seat and back in an upright or fully reclined position or an intermediate reclined position.

According to one novel feature of the invention, the mechanism is readily and easily affixed to the seat and back of a chair and is readily and easily operated by an occupant of the chair to lock or release the seat.

The mechanism is compact in form so as to occupy but small space and, as is the case with prior art mechanisms, the construction and appearance of the chair are not unfavorably influenced in order to accommodate the mechanism.

According to novel features of the invention, the mechanism is arranged for securement to the base and seat of a chair and includes a member which is rotatable in opposite directions as the seat is moved relative to the base in opposite directions. Said member is provided with relatively spaced recesses on the periphery thereof and an operative member is reciprocable between a releasing inoperative position to an operative locking position wherein it engages in a recess of the rotatable memer to lock the seat against movement relative to the base.

All of the above cited objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To these above and other ends and with the foregoing and various other and ancillary features and advantages and objects of my invention as Will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain features of novelty, in a mode of operation, and in the combination, organization, and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto annexed and more fully described and referred to in conjunction with accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic side elevational view of a chair embodying the novel features of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevational view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of a portion of the bracket of the seat and showing the operating rod; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an end of the operating rod of the mechanism.

2,804,124 Patented Aug. 27, 1957 Referring to the drawings more in detail the novel features of the invention will be fully described.

The chair has a base formed by opposite side members 2 and transverse front and rear end members 4 and 6 which are suitably secured together in the form of a rectangle. Legs 8 of suitable form are provided at the four corners of the base. It is usual to construct the base from wood but other materials may be used if desired.

A seat and back indicated by 8 has side members 10 and transverse end members 12 and 14 which are secured together to provide a rigid structure. The components of the chair may be upholstered in the usual manner to provide the usual seat and back supporting means and the usual decorative appearance but same forms no part of the present invention. Also the components may take any shape or configuration desired, the form shown being for purposes of disclosure merely.

The members 2 of the base serve as supporting bars. Rockers 16 are secured to inner sides of the side seat members 10 and have lower edges 18 which are curved for rocking or rolling on the upper sides of the members 2. The said rockers are secured together by forward and rear transvese end members 20 and 22. There may be other similar members.

Spring devices 24 at each side of the chair connect the members 2 and 16 of the base and seat and are of well known form. Said devices urge the seat in upright position but permit the seat to be inclined from the upright position shown to an inclined position wherein the back assumes a more tilted position than that shown.

The mechanism of the invention is associated with the seat and base and more particularly with the forward transverse members 20 and 4 thereof. These members for purposes of disclosure will be referred to as the seat and base.

Lower and upper brackets 30 and 32 are secured to the base and seat members 4 and 20 as by bolts such as 34. Said brackets are preferably mounted intermediate the sides of the chair.

An operating rod 36 is reciproeable in one side of the seat structure and its inner end 33 is half-round and is reciprocable in a half-round or D-shaped opening of the bracket 32, as shown in Fig. 4.

A fan shaped member or segment 40 is rotatable at 42 on the lower bracket 30. A link 44 is pivoted at 46 to the member 40 at its lower inner end and its upper end is loose on the rod 36. The periphery of the segment 40 is formed with relatively spaced recesses 48.

The rod 36 at its end 38, as shown in Fig. 2, has a collar 50 fixed thereto which abuts the bracket 32 in the outer or inoperative position of the rod.

The periphery of the segment is arranged to clear the fiat 38' of the inner end 38 of the rod 36 in the outer inoperative position of said rod.

With reference to Fig. 3, it will be assumed that the seat and back "are in what may be called the upright position.

As the occupant leans rearwardly for moving the seat and back to a reclining position, the segment 40 is actu ated or rotated in a clockwise direction by the link 44, the periphery of the segment passing by the flat 38' of the operating rod 36.

In a desired reclining position of the seat and back, the operating rod 36 is pushed inwardly so that the round part of the rod enters and slides into a recess 48 of the segment thus locking the seat against movement relative to the base.

The rod will be provided with a conveniently engageable member such as 50 on its outer end and the inner round part of the rod 36 will be formed to readily and easily enter a recess of the segment.

Thus the rod 36 is easily and readily moved in or out of a recess of the segment so as to lock the seat and back against movement or to release the segment.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to-be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore in tended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

comprising in combination, upper and lower brackets for wherein said interlocking means includes peripherally spaced recesses in which said operating rod is receivable.

3. The combination with a chair having a seat and back movable on a base between upright and tilted positions on a base of manually operable locking mechanism comprising, upper and lower brackets fixed to the seat and base, a segment pivoted to said lower bracket, an operating rod reciprocable in said upper bracket between outer inoperative and inner operative positions, a link pivoted at opposite ends to said segment and to said operating rod to rotate said segment as the seat is moved relative to the base, and said rod and segment being provided with means for locking engagement of said rod and segment 15 1. Manually operable mechanism for releasably looking to a supporting base a seat and back rockable thereon securing to the seat and base, a segment pivoted to the lower bracket, an operating rod reciprocable back and 20 'forth between locking and releasing positions in said upper bracket, a link connected to said segment and rod whereby said segment is rotated in opposite directions as said brackets are moved towards and away from one another, the periphery of said segment having interlock- 25 ing means in engagement with said operating rod in locking position thereof.

2. Manually operable mechanism set forth in claim 1 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 900,788 Simmonds Oct. 13, 1908 2,015,138 Drake Sept. 24, 1935 2,549,286 Beli'sle Apr. 17, 1951 

